"Man is the only animal that stumbles over the same rock twice"
- Spanish proverb -
Can we learn anything from the past that might help us manage our addictions in a distant future? Have you ever thought what tools we could devise to explain to our future generations why we have sometimes failed? Instead of sending out detailed messages, what other ways could we choose to communicate?
This Open Design Space will explore the creation of sensing devices, to propose different ways of feeling in the future. It is situated within the CRISP research project G-Motiv, which explores game elements to manage addiction and motivate behavioural change. Within such context, we will attempt to offer alternative views on the long-term implications of addiction and rehabilitation, by constructing A Message for Oblivion.
The course will take place at Design Academy Eindhoven, from 9 till 7 pm every Wednesday for four weeks, running between February 27th until March 20th. The Open Design Spaces are an opportunity for students to get acquainted with 'research through design' and participants are stimulated to work on prototypes, reflecting on what design research implies. BA students will earn 2 ECT credits if the course is completed successfully and they attend at least 80% of the programme. MA students are wellcome to apply but will need prior consent from the heads of their departments.
We will count with the following programme and collaborators for the event:
DAY No.1
February 27th
We will begin exploring what games can do for health, coinciding with the Design Debates Eindhoven and counting with the interactive-gaming expertise of IJsfontein.
DAY No.2
March 6th
G-Motiv project leader Valentijn Visch and senior researcher Renske Spijkerman from the healthcare provider Brijder, will address motivation and the narratives that conform health. We will then explore the implications of designing for uncertainty with the expertise of Anab Jain, co-founder of the future-thinking design practice Superflux, followed by a hands-on workshop where we will design our future stories.
DAY No.3
March 13th
Bernardo Fleming, head of the Olfactive Design Studio (ODS) from International Flavours and Fragances (IFF), will demonstrate how smells can serve as a tool to investigate and construct different narratives, based on personal sensory experience and emotions.
DAY No.4
March 20th
We will conclude presenting our final results and prototypes to visiting experts. Successful proposals will furthermore be invited to present their concepts at IFF, to an international team of perfumists and scientists.
Interested in designing this message for the future? Send us an email of interest to: opendesignspaces@designacademy.nl by February 15th, explaining why you would like to participate in the Open Design Space: A Message for Oblivion, what you would like to explore and what skills or expertise you can bring in. We will notify all accepted participants by February 20th via email, providing further instructions and details for the first session and overall programme.
Looking forward to receiving your proposals and some future-driven fun!